Study to take a close look at gambling among elderly Asian Americans

“Is there a threshold where the benefit of gambling ends and the adversarial effect starts? If we can identify that threshold, we will be able to recognize those who need help and even prevent potential problems.”

Wooksoo Kim, associate professor of social work

University at Buffalo

BUFFALO, N.Y. – A University at Buffalo School of Social
Work professor will take a methodical and multi-dimensional look
into the growing incidence of gambling among Asian immigrant
elders, hoping to find ways to enhance positive social effects
while designing ways to prevent problems for those who cannot
control their compulsion.

The study, supervised by Wooksoo Kim, associate professor of
social work, targets a rapidly growing Asian immigrant elder
population in America, which has almost doubled in the last 15
years.

The United States was home to more than 1 million older Asians
in 2008, and the number is expected to grow to nearly 7.5 million
by 2050.

“Even though gambling may have some positive effects in
the lives of older adults by providing socialization opportunities
and relieving boredom, it also increases the incidence of problem
gambling,” says Kim. “It can significantly reduce the
quality of life in the late adulthood of Asian
immigrants.”

The research was funded by the Fahs-Beck Foundation, and data
collection will start this fall.

Kim will use a mixed-methods design and interview 40 Chinese and
Korean men and women from the New York City area who have
experience with gambling.

“My research has been focused on debunking the model
minority myth,” says Kim. “This model minority
myth, which assumes that Asians are doing well and are even immune
to many behavioral problems, actually hurts Asian Americans,
especially those who do not fare well in this country. Asians are
not immune to behavioral problems, including gambling.”

The study has three goals:

Providing a deeper understanding of gambling experiences and in
particular problem gambling

Designing an intervention program that fits the needs of these
Asian elders

And, eventually, developing a research proposal that tests the
effectiveness of this intervention program.

The study targets these Asian elders because of what Kim calls
“a triple minority status” of being old, being an
ethnic minority and being immigrants.

“Asian immigrant elders seem to be especially vulnerable
to gambling,” says Kim. “Many Asian cultures accept
gambling as an entertainment activity, and gambling, particularly
gambling with friends or family, is considered a normal activity
that facilitates social life and bonds relationships.”

The study proposal acknowledges the positive effects of gambling
in this population. Besides socializing opportunities and relieving
boredom, it also can provide social support and a sense of
community for transplanted immigrants separated from culture and
families that provided continuity and identity.

“Moreover, like other older adults in the U.S., gambling
may be attractive to Asian immigrant elders because it provides a
means of social integration for a socially and linguistically
isolated group,” Kim says.

The research proposal also recognizes the harm excessive
gambling can have on these vulnerable people, especially what Kim
describes as “a gambling-permissive Asian culture.”

“Because of the sedentary nature of gambling activities,
heavy engagement of gambling activities may reduce the likelihood
of getting proper physical exercise,” Kim writes in her
proposal. “Further, certain types of gambling are associated
with poor health, such as bingo, which is more often played by
older women. Gambling is also associated with alcohol use in older
adulthood. Older adults who gamble are 1.5 to 2 times more likely
to drink alcohol than those who do not gamble.”

Kim has engaged two agencies to be involved in the study: the
senior service of Hamilton-Madison House in New York City’s
Chinatown and the Korean Community Services. The research will
consist of in-depth interviews and a survey questionnaire.

“I do not want to pathologize all the gambling
behaviors,” says Kim. “For some people, gambling venues
provide socializing opportunities. Is gambling good or bad for
Asian immigrant elders? Is there certain gambling that is
beneficial to them while others are detrimental? Or, is there a
threshold where the benefit of gambling ends and the adversarial
effect starts?

“If we can identify that threshold, we will be able to
recognize those who need help and even prevent potential
problems.”

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